Methods and systems for paying with loyalty currency during online payment

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for paying with loyalty currency at a merchant website by a user using a browser app are provided. The user is presented with the loyalty currency balance information based on the loyalty currency units available in the loyalty currency account. Thereafter, the user is presented with an option to pay for the purchase transaction using the loyalty currency. The user may select the option of paying for the purchase transaction using the loyalty currency, thereby redeeming the loyalty points.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/041,343, filed on Mar. 4, 2011, which is incorporated by referenceherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to electronic transactionsand, more particularly, is related to paying with loyalty currencyduring online payment.

BACKGROUND

Loyalty systems are conventionally used by various commercialorganizations to increase customer retention as well as to increase thecustomer base. Examples of commercial organizations may be one of afinancial institution, a credit card company, an airline, a super mart,a grocery store, a convenience store, and the like. Loyalty systemsreward a customer with loyalty points in return for usage of a productor a service marketed by a commercial organization. For example, severalfinancial institutions that issue credit cards to customers reward themwith loyalty points when the customer uses a credit card for shopping,dining, and so forth. The customer is able to redeem the points on thefinancial institution's website for goods and services from a variety ofmerchants assembled by the financial institution. Further, an example ofa non-financial commercial organization issuing reward points may be anairline that rewards its customers with travel miles. The travel milesmay be redeemed by the customers for that airline service when they havea minimum requisite number of travel miles in their account.

Typically, commercial organizations provide a limited range of optionsfor redeeming the loyalty points. For example, several commercialorganizations provide an online store linked to their websites where thecustomers may redeem their loyalty points by buying from the productsoffered at the online store. However, this facility of redeeming pointsat an online store suffers from the major drawback that only a limitedrange of products are available for buying at the online store. Acustomer not having any need or interest for the offered range ofproducts might find limited or no value in the loyalty points. Thisgradually leads to deterioration in the customer's perceived value ofthe loyalty system, which further diminishes the loyalty to the brand.In an extreme though plausible scenario, this might lead the customer toswitch to another commercial organization offering a better rewardsystem. Thus, the purpose of the loyalty system is defeated. Further,when the loyalty points rewarded by the commercial organization are notredeemed regularly, the financial liability of the commercialorganization increases, affecting their financial statements.

Moreover, the link to the online store where the customer may redeemloyalty points is generally present on the website of the commercialorganization. A customer who intends to redeem the loyalty points has toexclusively visit the website of the commercial organization andthereafter begin shopping using a less acquainted online storeinterface. The customers well set in their online shopping habits, withrespect to the merchant websites that they typically visit and theshopping experience that they are accustomed to, find it counterintuitive to shop at the commercial organization's online store. Thus, asignificant shift in the shopping habits of the customers is requiredfor the loyalty points systems to function effectively.

Alternatively, a particular merchant website may collaborate with aspecific commercial organization, offering a loyalty points program, forenabling paying with points. Typically, in this scenario, the customermay purchase products using loyalty points accumulated with the specificcommercial organization for any product on the merchant website.However, the major limitation of such an arrangement is that it requirestight integration between the merchant and the commercial organization.This limits the use of the loyalty points to a small set of merchantwebsites.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems for payingwith loyalty currency during online payment using a browser app. Brieflydescribed, in architecture, one example embodiment of the system, amongothers, may be implemented as follows: a loyalty currency client, atracking module, a presentation module, a currency converter module, anda transaction report module.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be viewed as providingmethods for paying with loyalty currency during online payment using abrowser app. In this regard, one embodiment of such a method, amongothers, may be broadly summarized by the following steps: presentingwithout a user input, loyalty currency balance information for the usercorresponding to a program sponsor, when the user visits the one or moremerchant websites. The steps further include capturing total cost ofitems being purchased by the user at a merchant website and convertingthe total cost of items into one or more loyalty currency units based ona set of one or more conversion rules stored in a conversion table.Further, the user is presented with a loyalty currency payment optionbased on loyalty currency balance information for the user. Thereafter,a payment method details are filled in a payment form based on a userresponse to the loyalty currency payment option. Further, purchasetransaction information is reported to the program sponsor after thepurchase has been confirmed by the merchant website.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system for paying with loyalty pointsduring online shopping using a browser app, in accordance with anexample embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a loyalty currency client, in accordancewith an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a loyalty currency server in detail, inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4A provides a screenshot of an internet browser running a browserapp, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B provides a screenshot of an internet browser running a browserapp, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4C provides a screenshot of an internet browser running a browserapp, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4D provides a screenshot of an internet browser running a browserapp, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4E provides a screenshot of an internet browser running a browserapp, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for paying with loyalty points duringonline shopping using a browser app, in accordance with an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which likenumerals represent like elements throughout the several figures, and inwhich example embodiments are shown. Embodiments of the claims may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The examples set forthherein are non-limiting examples and are merely examples among otherpossible examples.

In light of the above described deficiencies, there is a need forsystems and methods that may facilitate an easier and more broadlyusable system for redeeming of loyalty points, thereby increasing thecustomer perceived value of the loyalty program and the loyalty of thecustomer to the commercial organization. The systems and methods shouldenable the users to redeem their loyalty points at any merchant websitethat the user intends to use for online shopping. Further, there is aneed for systems and methods that may give the user freedom to buy aproduct of their choice independent of the availability of the producton a particular commercial organization's online store for redeemingloyalty points. Further, there is a need for systems and methods thatwill spare the commercial organization the hassles of maintaining anonline store such as maintaining an inventory, regular maintenance ofthe website, and so forth. Further, there is a need for systems andmethods that may not require the complex integration between a merchantwebsite and the commercial organization to enable use of loyalty pointsto purchase goods on the merchant site.

The present disclosure relates to enabling paying with loyalty currencyrewarded by a commercial organization at any merchant website. However,the current state of the art discloses that commercial organizationsenable redemption of points only on their online stores. Also, whenredemption of points is enabled at a merchant website, it is onlythrough a tight integration between the merchant website and thecommercial organization. In light of this, the embodiments of thepresent disclosure, enable paying with loyalty currency over anymerchant website using a browser app, without requiring integrationbetween the commercial organization and the merchant website. Further,the functioning of the browser app is independent of any merchantwebsite, which implies that the browser app is not dependent on thedesign and/or implementation levels of the merchant websites.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a system for paying with loyalty points duringonline shopping using a browser app, in accordance with an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure is shown. System 100 includescomputing device 102, browser app 104, loyalty currency client 106,program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c, loyalty currency server110, and network 112.

Computing device 102 is used by a user for visiting the various websitesfor online shopping. In an embodiment of the present disclosure,computing device 102 is at least one of a personal computer (PC), alaptop, a notebook, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet PC, apersonal digital assistant (PDA) and the like. Further, browser app 104is installed at computing device 102. Browser app 104 enables the userto pay with loyalty currency during online shopping at any merchantwebsite by interacting with program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and108 c over network 112. In an embodiment of the present disclosure,browser app 104 is at least one of a toolbar, a plug-in, an add-on, anextension and the like. In an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, browser app 104 resides in a browser such as InternetExplorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and the like. Inanother example embodiment of the present disclosure, browser app 104 isa mobile app that is installed on a mobile device that embeds a browsersuch as the one listed above. Further, in an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the network is the internet. In an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty currency is providedby one of the program sponsors. In an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the program sponsor is at least one of a bankinginstitution, a credit card company, a financial institution, an airline,a super market, a grocery store, a convenience store, and the like. Inan example embodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty currencyincludes loyalty points, membership points, reward points, mileagepoints, miles and the like. In another example embodiment of the presentinvention, the loyalty currency is any fungible means such ase-vouchers, coupons, and the like.

Further, browser app 104 may host loyalty currency client 106. Loyaltycurrency client 106 tracks the online shopping behavior of the userwhich includes tracking the websites the user visits and identifyingmerchant websites the user visits for online shopping and the merchantwebsites at which the user prefers to use the loyalty currency.Additionally, loyalty currency client 106 interfaces with programsponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c using network 112 for obtainingthe loyalty currency balance information for a user. The operationsperformed by loyalty currency client 106 have been explained in detailin conjunction with FIG. 2.

Further, program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c provide theloyalty currency balance information corresponding to a user to loyaltycurrency client 106. Additionally, program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b,and 108 c provide a set of conversion rules for converting the totalcost of items purchased into loyalty currency units corresponding to amerchant website that the user intends to use for redeeming the loyaltypoints. Further, program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c providea predetermined threshold of loyalty currency balance required for theuser to be able to redeem the loyalty points. In an example embodimentof the present invention, the program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and108 c may provide one or more business rules such as a list of merchantwebsites where the loyalty points may be redeemed, a list of merchantwebsites where the loyalty points may not be redeemed, list of type ofcard members, such as gold card member, platinum card member, who mayavail the loyalty points redeeming service, the time of the year duringwhich this loyalty points redeeming service is available, the categoriesof goods purchased for which this service is valid, and the like.Additionally, the program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c mayprovide a specific time frame, such as the time around major holidays,during which the service will be available. Although three servers 108A,108B, and 108C are provided in example embodiments, program sponsorserver 108 may comprise a single server, two servers, or more than threeservers, as well. Further, loyalty currency server 110 is connected toloyalty currency client 106. Loyalty currency server 110 hosts one ormore rules for operating loyalty currency client 106. Loyalty currencyserver 110 has been explained in detail in conjunction with the FIG. 3.

Referring now to FIG. 2, loyalty currency client 106 is shown in detail,in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.Loyalty currency client 106 includes authentication module 202,targeting module 204, user profile module 206, sponsor interface module208, tracking module 210, presentation module 212, currency convertermodule 214, transaction report module 216, and payment method module218.

User profile module 206 periodically extracts user profile informationfrom loyalty currency server 110 (refer FIG. 1) and program sponsorservers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c (refer FIG. 1). In an example embodimentof the present disclosure, the user profile information includes but isnot limited to an account holder name, a credit card number, a debitcard number, a Card Verification Value (CW) number, an expiration date,a prepaid card number, a merchant card number, and the like. In anexample embodiment of the present disclosure, user profile module 206extracts user profile information corresponding to multiple users. In anexample embodiment of the present disclosure, user profile module 206periodically extracts loyalty currency balance information andpredefined threshold corresponding to a user from at least one ofprogram sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c. In an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, user profile module 206 using web services extractsloyalty currency balance information and predefined thresholdcorresponding to a user from at least one of program sponsor servers 108a, 108 b, and 108 c. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure,user profile module 206 stores the loyalty balance information andpredefined threshold corresponding to at least one of program sponsorservers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c.

Authentication module 202 authenticates at least one user with loyaltycurrency server 110 at the launch of browser app 104 (refer FIG. 1). Inan embodiment of the present disclosure, the user is automaticallyauthenticated with loyalty currency server 110 based on preferencesettings of the user. Subsequent to authentication, tracking module 210is activated for tracking user's internet surfing activities. Thus,tracking module 210 tracks the activities of the user while the user isvisiting one or more websites. Further, tracking module 210 may trackthe one or more merchant websites that the user visits. When the uservisits a merchant website, tracking module 210 may inform targetingmodule 204. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, trackingmodule 210 informs targeting module 204 that the user is visiting atleast one merchant website belonging to a predefined list of merchantwebsites. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, thepredefined list of merchant websites is provided by at least one ofprogram sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c. Further, trackingmodule 210 may capture total cost of items to be purchased includingshipping cost and taxes, if any, by the user at a merchant website.Tracking module 210 may provide the information corresponding to thetotal cost of items to be purchased including shipping cost and taxes,if any, to currency converter module 214 through targeting module 204.Additionally, tracking module 210 may track a user response to at leastone loyalty currency payment option presented to the user bypresentation module 212.

Presentation module 212 presents the user with loyalty currency balanceinformation corresponding to a program sponsor without a user input. Inan example embodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty currencybalance information includes number of loyalty currency units creditedto the user by the program sponsor. In an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information correspondsto more than one program sponsor. In an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information is based onaggregated loyalty currency units awarded by the same program sponsorcorresponding to different products or services subscribed by the user.For example, the program sponsor is a financial institution that issuescredit cards and the user owns two different credit cards issued by thesame financial institution. In accordance with the loyalty currencybalance calculation rules, the loyalty currency balance corresponding tothe program sponsor is a sum of the loyalty points awarded to the useron the different credit cards issued by the same program sponsor. Theloyalty currency balance information may be presented to the user in apredefined format. Further, in an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, presentation module 212 presents the user with the loyaltycurrency balance information corresponding to a program sponsor, whenthe loyalty currency balance is above a predefined threshold. Thepredefined threshold is provided by the program sponsor. In an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module 212 may obtainthe loyalty currency balance information and the predefined thresholdfrom sponsor interface module 208 through targeting module 204. In anexample embodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module 212may obtain the loyalty balance information and predefined threshold fromuser profile module 206. Further, presentation module 212 may present tothe user one or more number of loyalty currency units corresponding tothe one or more program sponsors in a purchase transaction.

In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, presentation module212 receives the information corresponding to the number of loyaltycurrency units corresponding to one or more program sponsor servers 108a, 108 b, and 108 c used for the purchase transaction from currencyconverter module 214 and presents the number of loyalty currency unitsto the user. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure,presentation module 212 presents a confirmation for the user that thechoice for paying using the loyalty currency has been accepted and aprompt for the user to complete the purchase transaction. Subsequent tothe user completing the purchase transaction, presentation module 212may inform the user that the purchase transaction will be recorded as aloyalty points purchase transaction. Further, in an example embodimentof the present disclosure, presentation module 212 may also display onthe browser a loyalty program name, a logo to identify the sponsoringorganization, name of the card member, and/or the payment cardassociated with the loyalty system. Further, presentation module 212 mayalso display a marketing or instructive message explaining the prompt oran opt out or turn-off message on the browser.

Payment method module 218 automatically populates payment method detailsin a payment form. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure,the payment method details are filled in manually by a user in thepayment form. Further, payment method module 218 may lock the paymentform subsequent to automatic filling of payment method details toprevent the user from editing one or more fields of the payment form. Inan example embodiment of the present disclosure, the payment methoddetails may include but are not limited to an account holder name, acredit card number, a debit card number, a Card Verification Value (CW)number, an expiration date, a prepaid card number, a merchant paymentnumber, and the like. Additionally, payment method module 218 may gatherpayment method details from sponsor interface module 208 throughtargeting module 204. In another example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a virtual card number or a virtual bank number is generatedcorresponding to one of the payment method details listed above, therebyenhancing security by not sharing the actual payment method details withthe merchant website. Further, this also provides the benefit ofobtaining exact transaction details by the browser app 104.

Sponsor interface module 208 interfaces with at least one of programsponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c for obtaining the loyaltycurrency balance information corresponding to a user. In an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure, sponsor interface module 208,using a web service, periodically extracts loyalty currency balanceinformation and predefined threshold corresponding to a user from atleast one of program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c. In anexample embodiment of the present disclosure, sponsor interface module208 provides the loyalty currency information to targeting module 204.Additionally, sponsor interface module 208 obtains a set of conversionrules from one of program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 ccorresponding to a merchant website for converting the total cost ofitems purchased into loyalty currency units. In an example embodiment ofthe present disclosure, the set of conversion rules is obtained when theuser visits the corresponding merchant website for online shopping. Inanother example embodiment of the present disclosure, the set ofconversion rules corresponding to the various merchant websites in thepredefined list of merchant websites is obtained at the launch ofbrowser app 104. In yet another example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the set of conversion rules is dynamically downloaded fromone of program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c. In an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure, sponsor interface module 208provides the set of conversion rules to currency converter module 214.Further, sponsor interface module 208 may also obtain informationcorresponding to the predetermined threshold of loyalty currency balancerequired for providing the user with an option for online shopping usingloyalty currency. Sponsor interface module 208 may obtain thisinformation from one of program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c.In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, sponsor interfacemodule 208 provides the information corresponding to the predeterminedthreshold to targeting module 204. In an example embodiment of thepresent invention, the program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 cmay provide sponsor interface module 208 one or more of a list ofmerchant websites where the loyalty points may be redeemed, a list ofmerchant websites where the loyalty points may not be redeemed, list oftype of card members, such as gold card member, platinum card member,who may avail the loyalty points redeeming service, and the like.Additionally, the program sponsor servers 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c mayprovide sponsor interface module 208 a specific time frame, such as thetime around major holidays, during which the service will be available.Thereafter, sponsor interface module 208 may provide the above obtainedinformation to targeting module 204.

Targeting module 204 selects a loyalty currency payment option to beoffered to the user when the loyalty currency balance is greater thanthe number of loyalty currency units required for completing a purchasetransaction. In a scenario when the user has multiple loyalty currencyaccounts with more than one loyalty currency balance greater than thenumber of loyalty currency units required to complete the purchasetransaction, targeting module 204 may select the loyalty currencypayment option to be presented. Targeting module 204 may select theloyalty currency payment option based on the merchant website, the totalcost of items, the loyalty currency balance information, and userpreferences. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, theuser preferences are derived from previous online activities of the usertracked by tracking module 210. In another scenario, when the loyaltycurrency balance of the user is less than number of loyalty currencyunits required for completing a purchase transaction, targeting module204 may select an option to be provided to the user which entails payingfor the items to be purchased using a combination of real currency unitsand loyalty currency units. Therefore, the user may choose to pay thepartial purchase amount using the loyalty currency units and theremaining purchase amount using the real currency units. In stillanother scenario, targeting module 204 may select an option to beprovided to the user which entails paying for the items to be purchasedusing a combination of real currency units and loyalty currency units,when the loyalty currency balance of the user is not less than number ofloyalty currency units required for completing a purchase transaction.In such a scenario, the user may inquire about the amount of thepurchase that may be paid using a specified number of loyalty points.The user may thereafter pay for that amount using the loyalty points andthe remaining amount of the purchase using real currency.

Currency converter module 214 receives the set of conversion rules fromsponsor interface module 208 and the total cost of items to be purchasedby the user at a merchant website from tracking module 210. Currencyconverter module 214 then converts the total cost of items to bepurchased into equivalent number of loyalty currency units using the setof conversion rules. Thereafter, currency converter module 214 providesthe equivalent number of loyalty currency units to targeting module 204.Further, in a scenario when the user intends to pay for the items to bepurchased using a combination of real currency units and loyaltycurrency units, currency converter module 214 provides the amount of thepurchase that may be paid using a specified number of loyalty points.

Transaction report module 216 captures purchase transaction informationand reports the purchase transaction information to the correspondingprogram sponsor. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, thepurchase transaction information includes but is not limited to amonetary value of the purchase transaction and a Uniform ResourceLocator (URL) of the merchant website at which the user performed thepurchase transaction, user identification, number of loyalty unitsredeemed, information related to partial or complete payment donethrough loyalty points, and the like. The program sponsor based on thereceived report takes appropriate action at its end to debit loyaltypoints from the loyalty points balance of the user and to apply a creditto the real currency purchase.

In the various example embodiments of the present disclosure, targetingmodule 204 acts as an interface between all the modules such asauthentication module 202, user profile module 206, sponsor interfacemodule 208, tracking module 210, presentation module 212, currencyconverter module 214, and transaction report module 216. The interfacingperformed by targeting module 204 entails determining a context from theinformation received from a first module and determining a suitableresponse to the context. Based on the determined response, targetingmodule 204 may direct a module to perform a suitable action. In anexample, when presentation module 212 interacts with tracking module210, the communication is performed through targeting module 204.Targeting module 204 determines the context from the informationreceived from tracking module 210. For example, if tracking module 210informs targeting module 204 that the user is visiting a merchantwebsite, targeting module 204 acts upon this information and directspresentation module 212 to display loyalty points balance information tothe user. Thereafter, tracking module 210 may record the user reactionto the balance information presented to the user. In another example,when sponsor interface module 208 communicates with presentation module212, the communication is performed through targeting module 204.

Referring now to FIG. 3, loyalty currency server 110 is shown in detail,in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Loyaltycurrency server 110 includes server assisting module 302, serverpresentation module 304, server user profile module 306, server currencyconverter module 308, server sponsor interface module 310, servertransaction report module 312 and server targeting module 314.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, server assisting module 302,server presentation module 304, server user profile module 306, servercurrency converter module 308, server sponsor interface module 310,server transaction report module 312 and server targeting module 314 maybe located in loyalty currency server 110. In such a scenario, serverpresentation module 304, server user profile module 306, server currencyconverter module 308, server sponsor interface module 310, servertransaction report module 312 and server targeting module 314 performsimilar functionalities as performed by their counterparts explained inconjunction with FIG. 2 above. For example, server presentation module304 stores the various presentation designs and styles that will beinvoked when requested by presentation module 212. Further, serverassisting module 302 performs the authentication functionalities whenrequested by authentication module 202. Server currency converter module308 converts the real currency units into loyalty currency units whenrequested by currency converter module 214. Server sponsor interfacemodule 310 interfaces with program sponsors 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c foraccessing data in aggregate format corresponding to all users, or for aspecific user. In an embodiment of the present invention, server sponsorinterface module 310 maintains the ‘single sign-on’ mechanism tosecurely exchange information with program sponsors 108 a, 108 b, and108 c. Server transaction report module 312 collects information, inaggregate format corresponding to all users, or for a specific user,from transaction module 216, and sends the information to programsponsors 108 a, 108 b, and 108 c. Further, server user profile module306 periodically provides the user information upon a request by userprofile module 206.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, and 4E screenshots of an internetbrowser with browser app running are shown in accordance with an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4A includes balanceinformation box 402. FIG. 4B includes payment information box 404. FIG.4C includes loyalty currency option box 406. FIG. 4D includesconfirmation box 408 and payment form 410. FIG. 4E includes transactioncompletion box 412.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, balance information box 402 may includeloyalty currency balance information. The loyalty currency balanceinformation is displayed on the browser by presentation module 212(refer FIG. 2) as explained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2 above.Further, presentation module 212 may also display on the browser aloyalty program name, a logo to identify the sponsoring organization,name of the card member, and the payment card associated with theloyalty system among other information. Further, presentation module 212may also display a marketing or instructive message explaining theprompt or an opt-out or turn-off message on the browser.

Referring now to FIG. 4B, payment information box 404 includes the totalcost of items being purchased by the user. The total cost of items to bepurchased is tracked by tracking module 210 and sent to currencyconverter module 214. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, atotal cost of items to be purchased by the user may include shippingcosts and taxes, as applicable, in addition to the cost of items.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, loyalty currency option box 406 may include anoption for the user to pay for the total cost of items being purchasedusing the loyalty currency. The option to pay using the loyalty currencymay be presented to the user by presentation module 212 when the loyaltycurrency balance information is greater than the number of loyaltycurrency units required to complete the purchase transaction asexplained in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 4D, confirmation box 408 may include aconfirmation for the user that the choice for paying using the loyaltycurrency has been accepted and a prompt for the user to complete thepurchase transaction. In an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, confirmation box 408 is presented to the user bypresentation module 212. Further, payment form 410 may include thepayment method details.

Referring now to FIG. 4E, transaction completion box 412 may include aconfirmation for the user relating to the payment details such as thepayment mode in which the transaction has been performed. The paymentmode may include payment performed completely using loyalty currencyunits or a combination of real currency units and loyalty currencyunits.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart is provided illustrating a methodfor paying with loyalty currency at one or more merchant websites by auser using a browser app, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 5 will now be explained in detail inconjunction with FIGS. 2, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D and 4E.

In block 502, a user is presented with loyalty currency balanceinformation corresponding to a program sponsor. In an example embodimentof the present disclosure, loyalty currency balance information ispresented in balance information box 402. In an example embodiment ofthe present disclosure, loyalty currency includes at least one of aloyalty points, membership points, reward points, mileage points, miles,e-vouchers, coupons, and the like. In an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the loyalty currency balance information includes number ofloyalty currency units credited to the user by the one or more programsponsors. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, theprogram sponsor is at least one of a banking institution, a financialinstitution, a credit card company, an airline, a super market, agrocery store, and a convenience store. In an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the loyalty currency balance information is based onaggregated loyalty currency units awarded by the same program sponsorcorresponding to different products or services subscribed by the user.

For example, this is the case in a scenario when the program sponsor isa financial institution that issues a credit card and the user owns twodifferent credit cards issued by the same financial institution. Inaccordance with the loyalty currency balance calculation rules, theloyalty currency balance corresponding to the program sponsor is a sumof the loyalty points awarded to the user on the different credit cardsissued to the user by the same financial institution. The loyaltycurrency balance information is presented to the user in a predefinedformat. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, apresentation module, such as presentation module 212, presents the userwith the loyalty currency balance information corresponding to a programsponsor, when the loyalty currency balance is above a predefinedthreshold. The predefined threshold is provided by the program sponsor.In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty currencybalance information is presented to the user when the user visits amerchant website. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure,the loyalty currency balance information is presented to the user whenthe user visits a merchant website that belongs to a predefined list ofmerchant websites. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, atracking module, such as tracking module 210, informs presentationmodule 212 that the user is visiting one of a merchant website throughtargeting module 204. Thereafter, presentation module 212 may presentthe user with the loyalty balance information. In an example embodimentof the present disclosure, presentation module 212 may obtain theloyalty balance information and predefined threshold from user profilemodule 206 through targeting module 204. Thereafter, presentation module212 may present the user with the loyalty balance information.

In block 504, total cost of items to be purchased at a merchant websiteis captured. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, thetotal cost of items to be purchased by the user at a merchant website,as displayed in payment information box 404, is captured by trackingmodule 210.

In block 506, the total cost of items to be purchased is converted intoloyalty currency units based on a set of conversion rules stored in aconversion table by a currency converter module, such as a currencyconverter module 214. In an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the conversion table is stored at a computing device. Inanother example embodiment of the present disclosure, the set ofconversion rules is dynamically downloaded from a program sponsor serverby currency converter module 214 when the user initiates a purchasetransaction at a merchant website. In yet another example embodiment ofthe present disclosure, the set of currency conversion rules is obtainedfrom a program sponsor server by a sponsor interface module, such as asponsor interface module 208 as explained in detail in conjunction withFIG. 2. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the totalcost of items to be purchased is provided to currency converter module214 by tracking module 210 through targeting module 204.

In block 508, the user is presented with the loyalty currency paymentoption in loyalty currency option box 406 corresponding to at least oneprogram sponsor. The loyalty currency payment option may be presentedbased on the loyalty currency balance information. In an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure, the loyalty currency paymentoption is presented to the user when the loyalty currency balancecorresponding to a program sponsor is greater than the number of loyaltycurrency units required to complete the purchase. In a scenario when theuser has multiple accounts with different program sponsors, one or moreloyalty currency payment options may be provided to the user. Theloyalty currency balances which are greater than the number of loyaltycurrency units required to complete the transaction may be presented tothe user as buying options. In an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, targeting module 204 selects the program sponsorcorresponding to which the loyalty currency payment option is to bepresented to the user when the user has multiple loyalty currencyaccounts having loyalty currency balances greater than required tocomplete the purchase transaction. Targeting module 204 may select theloyalty currency payment option based on the merchant website, the totalcost of items to be purchased, the loyalty currency balance information,and one or more user preferences, in which the user preferences arederived from previous online activities of the user tracked by trackingmodule 210.

In a scenario in which the loyalty currency balance is less than thenumber of loyalty currency units required to complete the purchasetransaction and is greater than the predefined threshold, the user ispresented with the loyalty currency payment option. The user may thenpay for the purchase transaction using a combination of loyalty currencyunits and one of a regular payment method such as a debit card, creditcard, merchant card, and a prepaid card.

In block 510, payment method details are filled in payment form box 410based on a user response to the loyalty currency payment option withoutthe user input. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, thepayment details are filled in the payment form box 410 by payment methodmodule 218. Exemplary payment method details may be an account holdername, a credit card number, a debit card number, a Card VerificationValue (CW) number, an expiration date, a prepaid card number, and amerchant payment number among other information. In an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the payment methods details are filled by accessingthe payment methods details from either the computing device or thenetwork. Examples of accessing the payment methods details from thenetwork may include digital wallet applications.

Further, when the loyalty currency issuing institution is anon-financial institution, for example when the program sponsor is anairline issuing travel miles, the payment method may not be one of theregular payment methods such as a debit card, a credit card, a merchantcard, and a prepaid card. In such a scenario, a virtual prepaid card maybe generated by browser app 104. The virtual prepaid card may have amonetary value equal to the monetary value of the purchase transactionand the virtual prepaid card may expire at the end of the purchasetransaction. Further, in an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, confirmation box 408 is presented to the user informing theuser that the choice of paying with loyalty currency has been acceptedand then prompting the user to complete the transaction. In an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure, confirmation box 408 is presentedto the user by presentation module 212. In an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the payment method details are filled manually bythe user in payment form box 410.

Further, in an example embodiment of the present disclosure, subsequentto filling the payment method details, payment form box 410 is locked toprevent the user from editing fields in payment form box 410. Further,payment form box 410 may be locked by payment method module 218.

In block 512, purchase transaction information is reported to acorresponding program sponsor. In an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the purchase transaction information includes but is notlimited to a monetary value of the purchase transaction, UniformResource Locator (URL) of the merchant website at which the userperformed the purchase transaction, user identification, number ofloyalty currency units redeemed, information related to partial orcomplete payment done through loyalty points, and the like. In anexample embodiment of the present disclosure, the purchase transactioninformation is reported to the program sponsor by transaction reportmodule, such as transaction report module 216 In a scenario in which thepayment has been done using a virtual prepaid card, more specific andprecise information about the completed transaction may be reported tothe program sponsor by transaction report module 216.

Further, in an example embodiment of the present disclosure, themerchant website records the purchase transaction to be completed usingone or more payment methods such as a debit card, a credit card, amerchant payment card, a prepaid card. In an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the program sponsor records that the purchasetransaction is completed using the loyalty currency and debits loyaltypoints from the user's loyalty points balance and applies a credit forthe real currency purchase. Thereafter the method may terminate.

The flow chart of FIG. 5 shows the architecture, functionality, andoperation of a possible implementation of loyalty currency paymentsoftware. In this regard, each block may represent a module, segment, orportion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblocks may occur out of the order noted in FIG. 5. For example, twoblocks shown in succession in FIG. 5 may in fact be executedsubstantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed inthe reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. Anyprocess descriptions or blocks in flow charts should be understood asrepresenting modules, segments, or portions of code which include one ormore executable instructions for implementing specific logical functionsor steps in the process, and alternate implementations are includedwithin the scope of the example embodiments in which functions may beexecuted out of order from that shown or discussed, includingsubstantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on thefunctionality involved. In addition, the process descriptions or blocksin flow charts should be understood as representing decisions made by ahardware structure such as a state machine.

The logic of the example embodiment(s) can be implemented in hardware,software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In example embodiments,the logic is implemented in software or firmware that is stored in amemory and that is executed by a suitable instruction execution system.If implemented in hardware, as in an alternative embodiment, the logiccan be implemented with any or a combination of the followingtechnologies, which are all well known in the art: a discrete logiccircuit(s) having logic gates for implementing logic functions upon datasignals, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) havingappropriate combinational logic gates, a programmable gate array(s)(PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc. In addition, thescope of the present disclosure includes embodying the functionality ofthe example embodiments disclosed herein in logic embodied in hardwareor software-configured mediums.

Software embodiments, which comprise an ordered listing of executableinstructions for implementing logical functions, can be embodied in anycomputer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system,processor-containing system, or other system that can fetch theinstructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or deviceand execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a“computer-readable medium” can be any means that can contain, store, orcommunicate the program for use by or in connection with the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. The computer readable medium canbe, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical,electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, ordevice. More specific examples (a non exhaustive list) of thecomputer-readable medium would include the following: a portablecomputer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (electronic),a read-only memory (ROM) (electronic), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) (electronic), and a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). In addition, the scopeof the present disclosure includes embodying the functionality of theexample embodiments of the present disclosure in logic embodied inhardware or software-configured mediums.

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it shouldbe understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations may bemade thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for paying with loyalty currency duringonline payment at any merchant website by a user using a paymentassistant plug-in residing on a browser, the payment assistant plug-inbeing independent of any merchant website, the loyalty currency beingprovided by one or more program sponsors, the method comprising:receiving a confirmation from the user to use loyalty currency units fora purchase transaction at a merchant website; filling payment methodsdetails using a payment method in a payment form based on the receivedconfirmation; and presenting a confirmation message to the user that thepurchase transaction has been completed by paying with loyalty currencyat the merchant website, irrespective of whether the merchant websitesupports paying with loyalty currency, wherein the method is implementedon a computing device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the loyaltycurrency comprises at least one of loyalty points, membership points,reward points, mileage points, e-vouchers, coupons, and miles.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: automatically presenting loyaltycurrency balance information for the user corresponding to the one ormore program sponsors, wherein the loyalty currency balance informationis presented to the user based on tracking the one or more websites thatthe user visits.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: capturingtotal cost of items to be purchased by the user at the merchant website.5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: converting total cost ofitems to be purchased into one or more loyalty currency units based on aset of one or more conversion rules stored in a conversion table,wherein the set of conversion rules corresponds to a program sponsor,wherein each conversion rule corresponds to a merchant website.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: presenting the user with at leastone loyalty currency payment option based on loyalty currency balanceinformation, the at least one loyalty currency payment option ispresented to pay for the purchase transaction at the merchant websiteusing the loyalty currency.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: reporting purchase transaction information to at least oneof the one or more program sponsors after completing the purchasetransaction.
 8. The method of claim 3, wherein the loyalty currencybalance information comprises number of loyalty currency units creditedto the user by the one or more program sponsors.
 9. The method of claim3, wherein the user visiting the one or more merchant websites ispresented with the loyalty currency balance information when the loyaltycurrency balance is above a predetermined threshold.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the merchant website belongs to a predefined list ofone or more merchant websites provided by at least one program sponsor.11. The method of claim 3, wherein the loyalty currency balanceinformation is based on aggregated loyalty currency units computed fromone or more loyalty currency corresponding to a program sponsor for theuser.
 12. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of conversion rules isdynamically downloaded from a program sponsor server when the userinitiates the purchase transaction at the merchant website.
 13. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the user is presented with the at least oneloyalty currency payment option when loyalty currency balancecorresponding to a program sponsor is greater than the number of loyaltycurrency units required to complete the purchase transaction.
 14. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the purchase transaction is completed bypaying using a combination of one or more loyalty currency units and atleast one payment method.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the paymentmethods comprise at least one of using a credit card, a debit card, aprepaid card, and a merchant card.
 16. The method of claim 1, whereinthe payment methods comprise a virtual prepaid card automaticallygenerated by the payment assistant plug in real-time having a monetaryvalue equal to the monetary value of the purchase transaction, whereinthe virtual prepaid card expires at the end of the purchase transaction.17. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment methods further compriseat least one of a virtual card number and a virtual bank number, thevirtual card number and/or the virtual bank number generatedcorresponding to the one or more payment methods.
 18. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the user stores details of the payment methods on theat least one of the computing device and over the network, wherein thedetails of the payment methods comprise at least one of an accountholder name, a credit card number, a debit card number, a CardVerification Value (CW) number, an expiration date, a prepaid cardnumber, and a merchant card number.
 19. The method of claim 1, whereinthe details of the payment methods are filled in the payment form byaccessing the details of the payment methods from at least one of thecomputing device and the network.
 20. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising automatically locking the payment form at the merchantwebsite from user editing subsequent to filling the payment methodsdetails.
 21. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizingcompletion of the purchase, wherein the merchant website records thepurchase to be completed using the payment methods, wherein the programsponsor records the purchase to be completed using the loyalty currency.22. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more program sponsors isat least one of a banking institution, a financial institution, a creditcard company, an airline, a super market, and a convenience store. 23.The method of claim 1, wherein the payment method details are filledmanually by the user in the payment form.
 24. A system for paying withloyalty currency during online payment at any merchant websites by auser using a payment assistant plug-in residing on a browser, thepayment assistant plug-in being independent of any merchant website, theloyalty currency being provided by one or more program sponsors, thesystem comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor,wherein the processor is configured to execute the payment assistantplug-in residing on the browser in the memory, the payment assistantplug-in comprising: a tracking module configured to: I. track a userresponse to at least one loyalty currency payment option presented tothe user, the at least one loyalty currency payment option is presentedto pay for a purchase transaction using the loyalty currency; and II.receive a confirmation from the user to use converted loyalty currencyunits for a purchase transaction at the merchant website; and apresentation module configured to: I. present a confirmation message tothe user that the purchase transaction has been completed by paying withloyalty currency at the merchant website, irrespective of whether themerchant website supports paying with loyalty currency; wherein thepayment assistant plug-in is connected to a loyalty currency server, theloyalty currency server hosts one or more rules for operating theloyalty currency client, Wherein the payment assistant plug-ininteracting with the one or more program sponsors over a network. 25.The system of claim 21, wherein the tracking module further configuredto: I. track one or more websites the user visits; and II. capture totalcost of items to be purchased by the user at the merchant website. 26.The system of claim 21, wherein the presentation module furtherconfigured to: I. present to the user in a predefined format at leastone loyalty currency balance information corresponding to the one ormore program sponsors without a user input, when the user visits the oneor more merchant websites; II. present to the user in the predefinedformat one or more number of loyalty currency units corresponding to theone or more program sponsors required for the purchase transaction. 27.The system of claim 21, further comprising: a currency converter moduleconfigured to convert the total cost of items to be purchased into theone or more loyalty currency units needed for completing the purchasetransaction, and to provide the number of one or more loyalty currencyunits needed for completing the purchase transaction to the presentationmodule; a transaction report module configured to capture the purchasetransaction information and reporting the purchase transactioninformation to at least one of the one or more program sponsors; and asponsor interface module configured to interface with at least oneprogram sponsor server and to obtain at least one of: loyalty currencybalance information corresponding to the user; a set of conversion rulescorresponding to a merchant website for converting the total cost ofitems to be purchased into loyalty currency units; information onmerchants where the payment by loyalty currency service is to beprovided; a list of users for whom the payment by loyalty currencyservice is to be enabled; and a predetermined threshold of loyaltycurrency balance required corresponding to the at least one programsponsor.
 28. The system of claim 21, wherein the loyalty currency serverinteracts with the payment assistant plug-in and the at least oneprogram sponsor server over the network.
 29. The system of claim 21,further comprising an authentication module configured to authenticatethe user with at least one of the payment assistant plug and the loyaltycurrency server.
 30. The system of claim 21, further comprising a userprofile module configured to extract one or more user profiles from atleast one of the loyalty currency server and one or more programsponsors, wherein the information comprises at least one of an accountholder name, a credit card number, a debit card number, a CardVerification Value (CW) number, an expiration date, a prepaid cardnumber, and a merchant card number.
 31. The system of claim 21, furthercomprising a targeting module configured to: select at least one loyaltycurrency payment option to be offered to the user when the at least oneloyalty currency balance is greater than number of loyalty currencyunits required to complete the purchase transaction; and select the atleast one loyalty currency payment option based on at least one of themerchant website, the total cost of items to be purchased, the loyaltycurrency balance information, and one or more user preferences.
 32. Thesystem of claim 21, further comprising a payment method moduleconfigured to automatically lock a payment form from user editingsubsequent to filling one or more payment method details.
 33. The systemof claim 27, wherein the purchase transaction information comprises atleast one of a monetary value of the purchase transaction and an addressof the merchant website at which the user performed the purchasetransaction.
 34. A computer program product comprisingcomputer-executable instructions embodied in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium for use in connection with aprocessor-containing system, for performing steps comprising: receivinga confirmation from a user to use loyalty currency units for a purchasetransaction at a merchant website; filling payment methods details usinga payment method in a payment form based on the received confirmation;and presenting a confirmation message to the user that the purchasetransaction has been completed by paying with loyalty currency at themerchant website, irrespective of whether the merchant website supportspaying with loyalty currency.